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The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Donald Trump and John McCain have been sparring publicly from the beginning of Trump's campaign for presidency, which began in June 2015. Here are the highlights.
The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

June 30, 2015: Two weeks after Trump announced his presidential candidacy in a speech widely criticized for calling Mexican immigrants "rapists" and drug runners, McCain put distance between himself and the celebrity billionaire. "I just disagree with his comments about the, quote, Mexicans," McCain said.
Mark Henle/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

July 10, 2015: The Republic published a story with the headline "McCain, Flake want no part of Trump's Phoenix rally." Trump campaign sources subsequently confirmed that Trump himself was aware of the article, which quoted McCain speaking about Trump's comments about Mexicans on MSNBC. "I just think that it is offensive to not only Hispanic citizenry, but other citizenry, but he's entitled to say what he wants to say," McCain said.
Charlie Leight/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

July 11, 2015: Trump appeared at a rally at the Phoenix Convention Center. "We have incompetent politicians, not only the president," Trump told the crowd. "I mean, right here, in your own state, you have John McCain." The pro-Trump audience booed the mention of McCain's name. After the event, Trump hammered McCain some more. "I've supported John McCain, but he's very weak on immigration," Trump said. "... If the right person runs against John McCain, he will lose."
Cheryl Evans/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

July 16, 2015: The New Yorker published McCain's reaction to Trump's Arizona rally. “This performance with our friend out in Phoenix is very hurtful to me,” McCain said in the interview. “Because what he did was he fired up the crazies.” Trump immediately fired back on Twitter, demanding that McCain apologize for the "crazies" remark and calling McCain a "dummy" for graduating last in his class at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Jack Gruber/USA TODAY

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

July 18, 2015: The feud really exploded when Trump, at an event in Iowa, disparaged McCain's service during the Vietnam War. Trump, who did not serve in Vietnam, said McCain was “a war hero because he was captured” and that he liked “people that weren’t captured.” McCain is a former Navy aviator who was shot down in 1967 and held as a P.O.W. for more than five years.
Jack Gruber/USA TODAY

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Aug. 10, 2015: McCain, who had been trying to keep out of a running feud with Trump, criticized Trump over comments about Fox News personality Megyn Kelly. McCain denounced Trump's comments, which were widely derided as sexist, as offensive. McCain also defended his record on veterans' issues from Trump's attacks.
Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

March 1, 2016: Trump won big on Super Tuesday, making his march toward the Republican presidential nomination all but unstoppable. Pressure started to build on McCain, who had been saying he would support whoever the GOP's standard-bearer was, even Trump.
Pat McDonogh/Courier-Journal

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

March 3, 2016: McCain joined Mitt Romney in beating up Trump. McCain focused on foreign policy. At the time, McCain aides pointed out that he'd also taken Trump to task over Trump's attitude toward Muslims, Trump's support for torture, and Trump's approving remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tom Tingle/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

April 19, 2016: McCain announced he would not attend the Republican National Convention in July, where Trump would accept the party's nomination.
Wong Maye/Associated Press

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

May 5, 2016: Politico published audio leaked from a fundraiser in which McCain grimly tells supporters that Trump is hurting the GOP brand with Arizona's Latino electorate and that "this may be the race of my life." But McCain subsequently told reporters he was sticking with Trump.
Charlie Kaijo/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

May 11, 2016: Trump seemed to want to make peace with McCain, telling national radio personality Don Imus: "You know, frankly, I like John McCain, and John McCain is a hero. Also heroes are people that are, you know, whether they get caught or don’t get caught, they’re all heroes as far as I’m concerned. And that’s the way it should be.”
Evan Vucci/Associated Press

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Aug. 1, 2016: McCain hit Trump over his attack on the parents of U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in action in Iraq in 2004. However, McCain did not withdraw his support of Trump. Trump quickly retaliated by saying he would not endorse McCain in his primary, resurrecting his accusation that McCain hadn't done a good job for veterans.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Aug. 5, 2016: Trump changed course and read a formal endorsement of McCain. "I hold in the highest esteem Sen. John McCain for his service to our country in uniform and in public office," Trump said. "And I fully support and endorse his re-election."
Cheryl Evans/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Oct. 4, 2016: McCain stood up for Trump with regard to comments Trump made about soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder; McCain suggested the media left out the context and distorted Trump's meaning. Trump thanked McCain on Twitter.
Mark Henle/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Oct. 8, 2016: McCain finally pulled his support of Trump over the 2005 Trump sex-talk recording, joining many other Republicans in walking out on their party's nominee.
Nick Oza/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

November 2016: Post-election, McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman signals that he will stand up to Trump as necessary: "I am not a rubber stamp. There are maybe 100 Department of Defense positions that require Senate confirmation. I believe that the Constitution requires advice and consent (of the Senate)."
Getty Images

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Jan. 10, 2017: McCain feels the anger of Trump fans again after it is disclosed on Jan. 10 that he obtained and gave to the FBI a dossier of potentially compromising but unsubstantiated research on then-President-elect Donald Trump and alleged Russian ties.
Saul Loeb/AFP

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Feb. 9, 2017: Donald Trump took to Twitter again to attack McCain following the Arizona senator’s criticism of the White House’s characterizing of a raid in Yemen as as a “huge success," despite the death of a Navy SEAL. "When you lose a $75 million airplane and, more importantly, an American life is lost and wounded I don't believe you can call it a success,” McCain said to NBC News.
Getty Images

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Feb. 16, 2017: McCain did not vote for Rep. Mick Mulvaney, who was confirmed as President Donald Trump's budget director on a 51-49 vote. His opposition to Mulvaney, R-S.C. — a crusader for federal budget cuts — largely stemmed from Mulvaney's past support of cuts to defense spending.
Associated Press

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Feb. 17, 2017: Without ever mentioning the president by name, McCain warned world leaders at the 2017 Munich Security Conference against isolationism in an apparent blast at his fellow Republican’s policies and worldview. McCain called on world leaders to take seriously his fears over the Trump’s policies. According to a transcript posted on McCain's website, the senator went on to target Trump’s signature enforcement orders and world view.
Associated Press

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Feb. 19, 2017: McCain, shown here getting a T-shirt from Ukrainian journalist and politician Svitlana Zalishchuk on the last day of his Munich trip, took to the Sunday TV news shows and responded to Trump's attack on the press, in which the president declared the media "the enemy of the American people."
Tobias Hase, AP

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

May 9, 2017: McCain says he's "disappointed' that Trump has fired FBI Director James Comey, the controversy-prone director of the FBI since 2013. McCain said Comey's firing underscores the need for Congress to form a select committee to investigate Russian meddling in last year's presidential election. Trump made the decision to fire Comey based on the recommendations of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the White House said.
Mark Henle/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

May 16, 2017: Trump's growing scandals that have put his White House in turmoil are now "Watergate size and scale," McCain says at a dinner in Washington, according to the Daily Beast. McCain's comments came after Trump received severe criticism for his May 9 firing of FBI Director James Comey amid an FBI investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russians during the 2016 race.
Associated Press

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

May 17, 2017: Flake joins McCain in calling Trump's mounting woes a drag on the GOP's agenda. "This city is awash with controversy, and we need to get it sorted out," McCain told The Republic. "We have important challenges, such as the reform of 'Obamacare' and tax reform and taking care of our military. Hopefully we can get these issues resolved so we can continue to focus all of our attention on the other important priorities we have."
Tom Tingle/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

May 20, 2017: Trump's May 10 Oval Office meeting with Russia's foreign minister and ambassador to the United States, the day after Trump unexpectedly fired FBI Director James Comey, is criticized by McCain. "I think it's pretty obvious they turned it into their propaganda advantage," McCain told The Republic. The New York Times also reports Trump told the Russians that Comey "was crazy, a real nut job," and that he had "faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off."
Russian Foreign Ministry

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

May 30, 2017: In Australia for talks on security in the Asia-Pacific region, McCain urges Australia not to abandon its alliance with America despite jitters over Trump. "I realize that some of President Trump's actions and statements have unsettled America's friends. They have unsettled many Americans as well," he said, alluding to a testy February talk between Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that McCain helped to smooth over. He also said that while he and Trump differed on some things, they were aligned in their support for a boost in military funding.
Rick Rycroft/AP

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

June 12, 2017: No fan of former President Obama's foreign policy (McCain told The Hill in 2016 that Obama deserved an “F” for his handling of foreign policy), McCain says the U.S.' standing abroad was better under the previous administration. Earlier in the month, Trump attacked Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of London, on Twitter after eight people were killed and dozens were wounded during a terrorist attack in the city. “What do you think the message is? The message is that America doesn’t want to lead,” McCain said about Trump's statement, according to the Guardian.
Jack Gruber/USA Today

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

June 30, 2017: "I'm just embarrassed. Embarrassed isn't the right word. I just regret it," McCain tells NBC News following Trump's Twitter attack Thursday on MSNBC personalities Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough. McCain also said that he was "not surprised but ... disappointed." According to a tally by the Washington Post, more than three dozen members of Congress from both parties denounced Trump.
Patrick Breen/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

July 20, 2017: Just hours after news broke of McCain's brain cancer diagnosis, he blasts Trump amid a report that the administration decided to halt a CIA training program for moderate Syrian rebels fighting Bashar al-Assad's regime. "If these reports are true, the administration is playing right into the hands of Vladimir Putin," McCain said in a statement. The program began under the Obama administration in 2013, and Trump decided in June to end it, the Washington Post reported. McCain also criticized Trump for not having a broader strategy in Syria and the Middle East in general.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

July 17, 2017: Trump wishes an ailing McCain well in his own way, giving McCain a shout out while condemning the Affordable Care Act during his "Made in America Product Showcase" in the White House's East Room. "But for our nation to really prosper, we must lower the tax on business — one of the highest in the world — and we must repeal job-killing 'Obamacare,' " Trump said. "We have to do that. And I can tell you, we hope John McCain gets better very soon because we miss him. He’s a crusty voice in Washington. Plus, we need his vote. And he’ll be back." McCain's absence from the Senate as he recovers from a surprise craniotomy put passage of the Republican-backed Better Care Reconciliation Act in jeopardy. The legislation, which would largely undo "Obamacare," is one of Trump's top priorities.
Tom Tingle/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

July 26, 2017: Back in Washington following cranial surgery to remove a blood clot, McCain was quick to deride Trump's surprise proclamation on Twitter that transgender Americans will be barred from serving "in any capacity in the U.S. Military". "We should all be guided by the principle that any American who wants to serve our country and is able to meet the standards should have the opportunity to do so — and should be treated as the patriots they are," McCain said in a statement.
J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

July 28, 2017: McCain casts the deciding vote to sink his fellow Republicans' so-called "skinny repeal" of the Affordable Care Act.
He joined Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and every Senate Democrat to bring down the bill on a 49-51 vote. The late-night drama of the vote drew immediate attention from the White House. Shortly before 3 a.m., Trump tweeted "3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!"
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

July 29, 2017: After his party's stinging defeat over health care legislation, Trump tweeted that the Republicans in the Senate "look like fools" and should do away with the filibuster, even though scrapping a 60-vote requirement would still not have saved the doomed bill. "Republicans in the Senate will NEVER win if they don't go to a 51 vote majority NOW. They look like fools and are just wasting time...." the president wrote.
Evan Vucci/AP

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Aug. 3, 2017: McCain says during a stop at The Republic's newsroom that his "no" vote on the "skinny repeal" was not a revenge vote against Trump for his disparaging comments two years ago about McCain’s time as a prisoner of war. He also said his call with Trump before the vote was “very pleasant, as you might expect.” During a Facebook Live interview, a viewer asked whether McCain had a “red line” with President Trump. McCain said he did not. “I will do everything in my power to work with this president,” he said. “He’s our president, unlike me.”
Lindsey Collom/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Aug. 15, 2017: Trump, when asked about McCain's defense of H.R. McMaster, Trump's national-security adviser, from attacks from alt-right critics, responds with a non sequitur: "Senator McCain? You mean the one who voted against 'Obamacare'? You mean Senator McCain who voted against us getting good health care?" Later, Trump mentioned McCain again when he was asked about another legislative priority of his, infrastructure.
"We came very close with health care. Unfortunately, John McCain decided to vote against it at the last minute," Trump said. "You'll have to ask John McCain why he did that. But we came very close to health care."
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Aug. 22, 2017: Though he doesn't mentioned them by name, Trump lambastes both McCain and Flake during a campaign-style rally at the Phoenix Convention Center. He riled up the crowd of about 10,000 by alluding to McCain’s July 28 vote that sank the GOP’s immediate effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
David Kadlubowski/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Sept. 1, 2017: In a guest column for the Washington Post, McCain writes that bipartisan compromise is more important than ever given that Trump "has no experience of public office, is often poorly informed and can be impulsive in his speech and conduct." He continues, "We must respect his authority and constitutional responsibilities. We must, where we can, cooperate with him. But we are not his subordinates. We don’t answer to him. We answer to the American people. We must be diligent in discharging our responsibility to serve as a check on his power. And we should value our identity as members of Congress more than our partisan affiliation."
Loren Townsley/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Oct. 16, 2017: In a speech to accept the National Constitution Center's Liberty Medal, McCain leveled a blistering attack on what he called the "half-baked, spurious nationalism" in the country's foreign policy. The next day, Trump shot back at McCain during a radio show, saying that "people have to be careful because at some point I fight back."
Associated Press

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Nov. 11, 2017: McCain unloads on Trump after the president appears to take the word of Russian President Vladimir Putin over U.S. intelligence officials regarding last year's election interference. McCain called Trump's willingness to cooperate with Putin on Syria "naive" and warned it would jeopardize national security.
Associated Press

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

March 20, 2018: McCain criticizes Trump for commending Vladimir Putin on winning re-election: "An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections."
The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

May 22, 2018: In McCain's memoir "The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations," he delivers a scathing assessment of Trump, saying that to the president, "the appearance of toughness or a reality show facsimile of toughness seems to matter more than any of our values."
Tom Tingle/The Republic

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

June 18, 2018: McCain called out the Trump administration's practice of separating families at the border under the zero-tolerance policy. McCain called the separations, which Trump later signed an executive order to stop, an "affront to the decency of the American people."
Jasper Colt/USA TODAY

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

July 16, 2018: McCain calls Trump's news conference with Putin "one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory." During the conference after the summit in Helsinki, Trump seemed to accept the denials of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Susan Walsh/AP

The John McCain-Donald Trump feud

Aug. 13, 2018: Trump signed the national defense authorization act, which was named after McCain. While Trump praised Rep. Martha McSally at the bill signing, he did not mention the ailing senator.
Carolyn Kaster/AP

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Sen. John McCain is criticizing President Donald Trump for commending Vladimir Putin for his re-election to a fourth six-year term as Russia's leader.

The Arizona Republican says, "An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections."

McCain, the Armed Services Committee chairman, also says that by doing so Trump has "insulted every Russian citizen who was denied the right to vote in a free and fair election to determine their country's future."

McCain has previously called Putin a murderer and a thug. He's also pressed the Trump administration to respond aggressively to Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections. And by doing so with Vladimir Putin, President Trump insulted every Russian citizen who was denied the right to vote in a free and fair election. https://t.co/lcQTBi7CA1